Barragup woman receives 800 hours community service

A 24 year old woman from Barragup was today sentenced to 800 hours intensive supervision order (community service) and prohibited from owning or caring for an animal for five years on four charges relating to animal cruelty.

Gemma Louise TOVEY, 24, was found guilty on three counts of cruelty to an animal by abandonment and one count of failing to provide proper and sufficient food to an animal.

RSPCA WA Chief Inspector Amanda Swift said the sentence sends a strong message that animal cruelty is a serious matter that won’t be taken lightly.

“This is an appalling case, abandoning an animal without ensuring it will be properly treated and cared for is an offence that can result in prosecution,” Chief Inspector Swift said.

In September 2012, RSPCA WA was contacted about three dogs that had been left behind at a rental property in Waroona, which had been leased by Ms Tovey who had moved out.

A male Greyhound aged between three and six years, was found dead lying in a pool of urine. The greyhound was in a poor condition with all ribs and bones protruding and weighed 14.1 kilograms. The average body weight for a female greyhound at this age is usually between 27-34 kilograms. The vet report stated that for this degree of wasting away there would have been a lack of nutrients over a number of weeks.